Thursday, February 14, 2013

Favorite Recipe: Smitten Kitchen's Peanut Sesame Noodles

Meet my new favorite recipe. I wanted to make a tasty relatively healthy meal for my sister and boyfriend, so I skimmed through the recipes on Smitten Kitchen, and this one popped out at me. I love peanuts and peanut butter, love sesame, and adore noodles (and really any carbs). Check, check, and check.Preparation for this is relatively simple, but does take a bit of time (20-30 minutes), as there is a lot of chopping involved.
The peanut dressing had a lovely thick and creamy texture, and a nice kick to it. This makes 3 smallish servings. If serving this as an entree, this is probably good for 2 portions.For peanut dressing:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter1/4 cup soy sauce1/3 cup warm water1 tablespoon chopped peeled ginger1 medium garlic clove, chopped2 tablespoons rice vinegar -- I didn't have any lying around, so I skipped this.1 1/2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil-- I used regular sesame oil.1 tablespoon honey1 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes or splash of the hot sauce or chili paste of your choice-- I would recommend half a teaspoon instead, as 1 teaspoon was really too spicy (at least for me).For noodles:3/4 dried soba noodles (dried linguine fini or spaghetti will work in a pinch)-- I was picking up all the ingredients at Trader Joe's, and because they don't sell soba noodles, I bought rice noodles instead. I really liked the result of the slightly sticky texture.4 scallions, thinly sliced1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick stripsHalf a seedless cucumber, thinly sliced-- I cut these into strips for uniformity sake.1 cup firm or extra-firm tofu, cubed-- I forgot to buy tofu but I definitely want to add it in next time.3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toastedPuree dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.Cook pasta in a 6 to 8 quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under water.Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, cucumber and tofu to dressing, tossing to combine. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.